Device for the width treatment of textile breadths with a liquid



E. KUSTERS ETAL DEVICE FOR THE WIDTH TREATMENT OF TEXTILE Oct. 22, 1968 3,406,542

BREADTHS WITH A LIQUID Flled June 6 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 S m T K D R A. w E

VALENT/N APPENZELLER A TTORNEYS v KUSTERS ETAL 3 40 542 DEVICE FOR THE WIDTH TREATMENT OF TEXTILE Oct. 22, 1968 BREADTHS WITH A LIQUID 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 1966 mi E E N TZ s N r us W AH MN MW m M A TTORNEVS Oct. 22, 1968 E. K USTERS ETAL DEVICE FOR THE 3,406,542 WIDTH TREATMENT OF TEXTILE BREADTHS WITH A LIQUID Filed June 6, 1966 5 SheetsSheet 4 M m 3 0 I T Z N w w HP 2 ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 KUSTERS 3,406,542

DEVICE FOR THE] WIDTH TREATMENT OF TEXTILE BREADTHS WITH A LIQUID Filed June 6, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVE N TOkS Eoumaa hd'sTERs VALENTIN APPENZELLE/i ATT RNEYS United States Patent Office 3,406,542 DEVICE FOR THE WIDTH TREATMENT OF TEXTILE BREADTHS WITH A LIQUID Eduard Kiisters, Gladbacherstrasse 457, Krefeld, Germany, and Valentin Appenzeller, Am Hagelkreuz 13, Kempen (Lower Rhine), Germany Filed June 6, 1966, Ser. No. 555,523 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 16, 1965, K 57,929 Claims. (Cl. 68-175) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure is a textile breadth washing or liquid treating machine of the type having a liquid container and guide rolls which cause the breadth, which is continuously traveling, to pass through the liquid in the form of a span. Flat belts having projections on their outsides continuously rotate while also submerged in the liquid and have linear spans which face the breadth span and travel transversely to and substantially parallel with the breadth span. The belts act as liquid driving means which drive the liquid transversely with respect to the traveling breadth span.

Our invention relates to a device for the width treatment of textile breadths with a liquid, in particular of wide breadths of knitted fabrics, in which the breadth is passed through the processing liquid in the form of a loop and in which the processing liquid is subject to a movement opposite to the direction of the width of the fabric.

For the width treatment of textile breadths, especially for washing textile breadths, a number of units is already known. The said units are generally employing oscilatory effects or flow speeds or even mechanical means such as brushes, etc.

Some of the said units, in particular those units which are employing oscillatory effects, are very expensive with regard to the technical aspect of their production. Even so the said units do not produce optimumwashing results. The portion which can be attributed to mechanical work in the Washing process, apart from temperatures, chemicals and time factors, is rather variable depending upon the quality of the goods and upon the nature of the washing procedure desirable in any particular case.

The washing effect of mechanical Washing substantially depends upon the difference between the advance speed of the fabric and of the liquid. An exception are processes which depend upon diffusion speed as, for instance, due to neutralisation of alkali, etc.

Width washing machines the effect of which does not primarily depend upon the difference in speeds of liquid and goods, but the operation of which is based upon mechanical means such as brushes, have practically ceased to be used in the textile industry already some decades ago. The present quality grades of woven and knitted fabrics are such as not to permit any mechanical surface attack.

Washing machines which are designed as oscillatory units will partly achieve a very remarkable difference in speed; they are, however, as already mentioned, very expensive with respect to the technical aspect of their construction and manufacture. Apart from this, the stainless steel parts which are used with these units are subject to very fast fatigue because of feeble resistance of this material to oscillation.

The width washing machines which are known up to now and which are operating on the flow principle, will partly arrive at already acceptable differences in speed; however, they are subject to a considerable number of shortcomings and deficiencies.

3,406,542 Patented Oct. 22, 1968 In the case of width washing units the flows of which are directed opposite to the direction in which the goods breadth is running, a tension of the fabric is produced which is undesirably high, and the formation of folds in the textile breadth is favored.

Units in which the direction of the fabric and the direction of the flow are identical, have bad washing results since the difference in speed is reduced due to the fact that the directions both of fabric and flow are the same.

The majority of units which are operating with a liquid flow in a transverse relation to the goods breadth, provides for a generation of the flow by means of nozzles, spraying tubes or simple Water flow which is guided by guide plates for the liquid supplied or discharged or which is effected simply by pumping over and corresponding control of the liquid path. Water flow is little effective.

Units with a transverse flow which are operating Within the washing bath via correspondingly designed nozzles, require, if they are expected to be effective, extremely high pumping capacities and have but a negligible effect only because, on the one hand, the direction of the flow is reversed in the pump and, on the other, each flow leaving a particular nozzle will at first have to accelerate all liquid particles which are present in the distance area between the nozzle and the goods breadth and which will not have the same speeds and directions of movement. There will be a specifically marked difference in direction of the liquid particles as regards their direction of movement due to the formation of whirls, especially so in the border field areas, and due to the general whirl in the liquid bath. In the case of nozzles which are arranged side by side the flow from each nozzle is deflected upon touching the goods breadth which deflection will reduce the effect of the adjacent flow from any adjacent nozzle. The majority of the liquid particles is not accelerated steadily and over a great area into the same direction nor directed into the same direction. The effective area of the nozzle arrangement already known is normally even so small that any optimum washing results cannot be achieved. In order to extend the effective area pumping capacities would have to be employed which are no longer economically acceptable. This applies, for instance, particularly to knitted fabrics which are produced today and finished in breadths exceeding three and four meters.

A unit is already known which is expected to produce a transverse flow in the washing bath. For this purpose worms are provided which are situated in the loops of the goods breadth and the passages of which are forming blades and which worms have a left hand pitch from the center towards one end and a right hand pitch towards the other. The worms are intended to partly be immersed in the liquid and to cause the liquid to move in a transverse sense with relation to the goods breadth in either direction as seen along the center line of the goods breadth in order to effect an extension of the goods in the direction of the weft and in order to permanently broaden the breadth. Such rotating Worms are producing a whirling of the liquid rather than an effective flow in the transverse direction. In the case of this unit which is already known it is even unfavorable that the effect of the worms on the treating liquid as regards the goods breadth is locally very limited since the worms cannot but be located within a polygon, a triangle or a quadrangle which is due to the arrangement of the goods breadth. The formation of a polygon is effected by means of deflection rolls. The radially and axially effective force of the liquid in motion attempts to lift the breadth in each instance up from the effective area of the worms since the liquid pressure on the goods breadth cannot be equalized around the worms which fact is liable to cause weft distortions of the woven 3 or knitted fabrics and folds in the run of the goods breadth.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit of the type mentioned above for the width treatment or width washing of textiles respectively which will result in a steady liquid flow over large areas in a transverse direction to the direction of the goods breadth without any detrimental effects on the said breadth.

This problem has been solved by the present invention by providing for an arrangement of driving means for the treating liquid which are passing the treating liquid substantially in a transverse direction towards the breadth.

By means of the driving means the treating liquid is moved in a steady flow substantially in a. transverse direction towards the goods breadth achieving a washing elfect which is increased by such transverse fiow and which is not detrimentally afiecting the textile breadth and this without necessitating any extreme or uneconomical input of energy.

Preferably, the driving means have wide surfaces in order to secure a sufficiently comprehensive transportation of the liquid.

It will also be practical to arrange the driving means on either side of the breadth.

It will be possible to provide for such arrangement that the driving means are arranged in such a way that they will operate approximately from the center of the breadth towards the outside. In this case the driving means are also permanently broadening the goods breadth.

In particular, according to the invention, the driving means may be designed as belts or straps of a continuously rotating type and with their surfaces substantially parallel to the breadth.

In this case two belts each may be provided on the same side of a goods breadth which belts are separated from each other approximately at the longitudinal center line of the goods breadth and which are continuously rotating in opposite directions.

It will even be practical if the rotating belts will have rotation speeds which are controllable separately, i.e., if the rotation speed of the pair of belts operating towards the one edge and the rotation speed of the pair of belts operating towards the other edge may be controlled independently of each other. In doing so a center control of the goods breadth will be possible.

It will be recommendable to provide guide plates at the turns of the belts which plates are reversing the flow into the direction of the belt rotation the result being a continuous rotation of the liquid around the goods breadth and an improved utilization of the liquid.

The outside of the belts may have a profile by means of which transportation of the liquid will be improved.

It may even be practical if the widths of the belts or straps forming the driving means are subdivided into narrower belts or straps. Such subdivision into several narrower belts or straps will be favorable because with minor width belts perfect endless rotation around a vertical axis will be easier than with major width belts or straps.

If the belts or straps are subdivided into several less wide belts or straps, it may be favorable that such narrower belts or straps are provided with a rib at the side facing the driving rolls which rib has a V-belt cross section, and that the rolls are provided with circumferential grooves of a corresponding cross section for engagement with the said ribs. Such ribs may even be useful with belts or straps which have not been subdivided.

The drawing is a perspective elevational view of several examples of a construction according to the invention.

FIGURE 1 is a first example of a construction according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a simplified construction according to the invention with a washing trough.

FIGURE 3 is a partial view of a construction according to the invention in which the driving means are operating towards either side.

FIGURE 3a shows the subdivision of the driving means into several narrower belts or straps.

FIGURE 4 is an example of a construction according to the invention substantially corresponding to that shown in FIGURE 3 in which the goods breadth is led around the return roll in a loop.

FIGURE 5 is an example of a construction according to the invention which is provided with guide plates at the turns of the belts facing each other.

FIGURE 6 is an example of a construction according to the invention corresponding to that shown in FIG- URE 5 which is provided with a center turn roll for the establishment of an additional breadth loop.

The goods breadth has been marked with 1 in all examples.

In FIGURE 1 provisions are made for top turn rolls 2 and bottom turn rolls 3 as well as for a feed roll 6 via which the goods breadth 1 is routed through the container 4 in the form of a loop. The container 4 has been filled with a washing in which the breadth spans between the rolls 2 and 3 are submerged in a bath. The time of contact of the textile breadth in the washing bath is determined by the number of the turn rolls.

The goods breadth is led between the liquid driving means 5 which are also submerged in the washing bath or liquid, upwards to the feed roll 6 via the turn roll 3".

The driving means 5 consist of two wide surface continuously rotating belts 7 which are arranged in a trans verse relation towards the goods breadth and which are rotating in this direction. Therefore, these means are mechanical as contrasted to hydraulic jets or the like. The belts extend over the total width of the goods breadth. The belt side which is not facing the goods breadth is provided with ribs 8. One of the belts 7 is located on one side and the other of the belts 7 on the other side of the goods breadth. At their turns the belts are running via rolls 9 the shaft of which are provided at one end with a pulley 11. Between these turns the belts form spans which move or travel adjacently parallel with respect to the breadth span between the rolls 2 and 3, which are the last of the series of these rolls. A continuous belt 12 is led via the said pulley so that the shafts 10 are in a rotating connection with each other. The driving wheel has been identified by 13. In the example shown the said wheel is a V-belt pulley. The feed direction of the goods breadth 1 has been marked by the arrow 14 and the direction of the rotation of the belts has been indicated by the arrows 15. The drive of the driving means which is located, in the drawing, on the backside of the goods breadth has not been shown. The drive may be effected in the same way as for the front driving means.

In the example of a construction according to the invention which has been shown in FIGURE 2 the container 4a intended for the washing liquid is designed like a trough. The goods breadth passes the said trough in one loop only. Arrangement of the driving means is the same as shown in FIGURE 1. For identical parts the same reference numbers have been used as in FIG- URE 1.

According to FIGURE 3 being a partial view of another example of a construction according to the invention which is preferably designed for goods breadths which are to be handled as far as possible free from tension or with a negligible tension only as well as for the treatment of extremely wide goods breadths, the driving means 5 are arranged in such a way that they are operating from the longitudinal center line of the goods breadth towards either of the two edges of the goods breadth. The continuous belts of one half of the goods breadth are running into a direction which is opposite to the direction of the continuous belts of the other half of the goods breadth as has been indicated by the arrows 16. The pairs of driving means which are located on either side of the goods breadth are arranged in a staggered arrangement so that the pairs are at different height levels in which case the turns of the driving means are projecting one on top of the other on the sides which are facing each other. The drive of the driving means on the right hand side has not specifically been shown.

In the example of a construction according to the invention as shown in FIGURE 4 the driving means are provided in the same way as in FIGURE 3 both for the outgoing loop side of the goods breadth and for the ingoing loop side of the goods breadth.

Even in the examples of a construction according to the invention as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 the driving means are arranged in such a way that they are operating towards either side of the longitudinal center line of the goods breadth in which case, however, the driving means on either side of the goods breadth, i.e., the driving means operating towards one edge of the goods breadth and the driving means operating towards the other edge of the goods breadth, are on the same height level so that the turns of the driving means are adjacent to each other at the center line of the goods breadth. At the said turns guide plates 17 are provided which reverse the direction of the liquid flow on the side of the driving means which is not facing the goods breadth, and which will cause the liquid to be effective again on the side facing the goods breadth.

The example of a construction according to the invention which is shown in FIGURE 6 differs from the ex ample shown in FIGURE 5 in that still another intermediate loop has been established by means of an additional return roll 2'.

FIGURE 3a shows the subdivision of the belts 7 forming the driving means into several narrower belts 7. The roll has been identified by 9. On their sides facing the said roll the belts 7' are provided with a rib 18 which has a V-belt like cross section. The rolls or return rolls respectively are provided with circumferential grooves 19 of a corresponding cross section for engagement with the ribs 18.

We claim:

1. A machine for treating a traveling breadth with liquid and including a container for the liquid, means for submerging at least one span of the traveling breadth in said liquid, and apparatus for moving the liquid with respect to said span; wherein the improvement comprises said apparatus including at least one movable mechanical liquid driving means submerged in said liquid and means for moving said liquid driving means transversely with respect to said span and substantially parallel therewith.

2. The machine of claim 1 in which said apparatus further includes a second mechanical liquid driving means submerged in said liquid and means for moving said second liquid driving means transversely with respect to said span and substantially parallel therewith, said liquid driving means being positioned to move respectively on op posite sides of said span.

3. The machine of claim 1 in which said means for moving said liquid driving means moves the latter starting from a generally central portion of said breadth in a direction outwardly therefrom, and said apparatus further ineludes at least one second movable mechanical liquid driving means submerged in said liquid and means for moving said second liquid driving means transversely with respect to said span substantially parallel therewith and moving this second liquid driving means starting from a generally central portion of said breadth outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite to the aforesaid direction.

4. The machine of claim 3 in which each of said liquid driving means comprises a belt and interspaced rolls about which the belt turns so as to form a belt span extending transversely to and substantially parallel with said breadth span and facing the latter, said belt spans turning at and extending from said generally central portions of said breadth in mutually opposite directions outwardly therefrom, said means for moving said liquid driving means comprising means for driving said belts rotatively with their said spans each moving transversely outwardly with respect to said breadth span.

5. The machine of claim 4 in which said belts have interspaced projections on their outsides so that these projections on said belt spans face said breadth span.

6. The machine of claim 4 in which said belts turn on said rolls to form second belt spans spaced outwardly from and facing in a direction opposite to the first-named belt spans which face said breadth spans, said second belt spans reversely driving said liquid with respect to said first-named belt spans, and guide plates positioned over at least the mutually adjacent portions of said second belt spans and their turns so as to turn the reversely driven liquid with said belts for driving by their spans facing said breadth span.

7. The machine of claim 6 in which said belts and their respective spans are mutually aligned longitudinally with respect to each other and their belt turns forming the inner ends of said spans extending from said central portions of said breadth are adjacent to each other.

8. The machine of claim 6 in which said belts have interspaced projections on their outsides.

9. The machine of claim 1 in which said liquid driving means comprises a belt and interspaced rolls about which the belt turns so as to form a belt span extending transversely to and substantially parallel with said breadth span and facing the latter, and said means for moving said liquid driving means comprises means for driving said belt rotatively.

10. The machine of claim 9 in which said belt has interspaced projections on its outside so that these projections on said belt span face said breadth span.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 485,695 11/1892 Haworth 68-175 X 1,175,538 3/1916 Matos 68-184 X 2,474,717 6/ 1949 Belcher 68175 X 3,152,464 10/1964 Faraguna 68184 FOREIGN PATENTS 952,075 11/ 1956 Germany.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

